North Melbourne chief, mayor reaffirm club’s ties to Ballarat

THE relationship between the North Melbourne Football Club and Ballarat shows no sign of slowing down.

During a civic reception for the club yesterday, chief executive Carl Dilena made it clear the club planned on continuing to hold clinics and camps in the city.

Speaking to The Courier after the reception, Mr Dilena said the club was very proud of the relationship that had been built with the city.

“We are really conscious of genuine community engagement,” he said.

“Through the Learning Life centre and the Huddle we run a lot of programs and do a lot of local study programs in North Melbourne.

“But Ballarat is the single biggest investment in a community in a range of programs and we do feel proud of what we do and are committed to making it work.”

City of Ballarat mayor Josh Morris said the relationship between the club and the city had been built up over the past few years.

“We are very proud to have the sixth year of the community camp here,” he said.

“It is a great chance for the AFL players to get out amongst schools to show young kids what can be achieved in sport and also to get out to the clubs and show them what the top level athletes are doing to improve their training techniques and performance on the field.”

The reception was attended by players and various city councillors.

“Whether it is about the school community or the club community, it is about getting out there making sure AFL plays are accessible to people in the Ballarat community,” Cr Morris said.

“We are very fortunate North Melbourne has been very keen to keep this relationship in place, as we have, it is just a great relationship that has improved over time.”

The club made various stops throughout the day including school clinics and an autograph signing at the Central Square Post Office.